Since 2011 I have worked as Global Head of Design at Suunto. The company was established in 1936 and it is globally known for design and high quality. As a sport enthusiast and a designer, I find it a fantastic brand to work with.
I have built the Design team to be responsible both for industrial design and for digital experience, and the number of creatives has grown 4x since I started. Today the team has a centrally strategic role and design thinking -based competencies to drive the brand.
I have built the Design team to be responsible both for industrial design and for digital experience, and the number of creatives has grown 4x since I started. Today the team has a centrally strategic role and design thinking -based competencies to drive the brand.
Suunto Design DNA
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When joining Suunto, I quickly realized that there really was not a helicopter-view definition of the design philosophy. We set out to build it, and integrated it with the brand.
As a result, the Suunto DNA was built and it still guides the brand and the designers. The "Sophisticated Roughness" tagline was built together with the brand team and accompanied with a set of simple principles. |
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CMF Strategy
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In 2012, we set out to build a more consistent and strategic Colour and Material strategy for Suunto. We studied the portfolio carefully, hired an external agency to help us identify right use of colour and created a custom-made palette to withstand Suunto's extremely tough testing requirements.
After the palette was created, we regularly track the sales of different SKU's and adjust the palette accordingly. The palette has enabled Suunto to build a consistent, highly recognisable yet modern product portfolio. |
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Industry-transforming Product Variation Strategy
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Back in early 2010's, sports watches were black. Or, sometimes you could find an odd colour version of it. Through consumer and market analysis we realized that people were increasingly wearing the sports watches in their daily life. Using our newly formed CMF strategy, we started building a new way of ranging Suunto premium sports watches. We created a variation strategy that enabled ranging a single product family from a sporty model to a lifestyle piece. Soon, competitors started adapting very similar strategy.
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Suunto 9Through joint effort between Brand, Product Management and Design, Suunto range and naming architecture was completely revamped in 2018.
Among the first new products was the new flagship, Suunto 9. It is a bold, premium sportwatch with an intelligent battery life concept, borne out of a design thinking -led creative sprint. |
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Suunto D5Another first for Suunto was launched in late 2018: the first-ever wrist-sized colour display dive computer. After an aggressive development project we managed to build a beautiful, yet functional product with an easy to use UI.
This is a big step and targeted to keep Suunto still at the #1 leader position of dive computer market. |
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Suunto SpartanIn Summer 2016, we launched Suunto Spartan, the first touchscreen, colour display watch of the brand history. This GPS performance watch has been a huge effort from everyone involved.
Never before have industrial design and digital design been so equally important for the product character. Suunto Spartan family quickly became the best selling range and continues to carry main share of growth of the Suunto business. |
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Suunto KailashIn 2014 we set out on a strategic path in building a dedicated lifestyle range of products. The first product of this range, Suunto Kailash, was launched in fall 2015. It features aerospace titanium, a novel "timeline" UI and a mobile app, all designed by my team.
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Accessory Collection
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Following the transformative product variation stragegy, Suunto realized there is potential in accessorizing the products through wristbands. We have built several collections to support the business initiative.
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(All images courtesy of Suunto)